


As Long As I'm With You

by snowbird1822



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Happy ending though, I promise, Oneshot, Poetry, everything is fine but actually not really, he is still as angsty as ever, i just really like writing nightmare fics, the answer is not well, this is basically just a what if situation of how Adam would deal with the aftermath of the movie, very short oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27478273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowbird1822/pseuds/snowbird1822
Summary: It's pretty hard to forget the times when you were once a hideous beast, even if you are human again; Adam's nightmares make sure he doesn't forget the pain he felt, but Belle's presence might have the ability to turn that all around.
Relationships: Adam/Belle (Disney), Beast/Belle (Disney)
Kudos: 4





	As Long As I'm With You

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is yet another nightmare fic but I just love writing them so much. Plus, I think it's different enough that it works out. Anyway, I've really been in a mood for batb content and have had this idea clanging around my brain for a while. So here is the result of that. Hope you enjoy!

The past few days of his life had been the best he’s had in a very long time, possibly the best ever. He could now proudly say that he has a beautiful bride, his new status as king, and all of his dearest friends by his side. It couldn’t possibly get any better. And when everything died down at night, he slept peacefully with his wife cradled against his back.

That is, until he started dreaming again for the first time since the curse was broken.

Or so he thought at first as he floated peacefully above the grounds of the castle, looking over the land and taking in the warmly colored beauty of his surroundings. Though it was all amazing and filled him with blissful awe, it was just his luck that this would not last forever.

Without warning, he lost his breath in a choked scream as searing pain suddenly shot through every inch of his body. 

He couldn’t move.

He felt like crumpling into a ball, doing anything to make the hurt go away. Yet he could only look on helplessly as his limbs shifted in a familiarly painful manner. As the transformation tore through his body, he could do nothing but tend to his racing mind.

No, this- this couldn’t be happening again. The spell just broke. I am not the beast anymore! I am human!

Despite his speechless pleas, Adam took on a beastly form once again, his body enveloped with searing, blinding light for just a moment before the light receded to reveal his changed state.

After the transformation was finished, he landed roughly to the ground in a heap. As he gasped for a breath that didn’t feel like his lungs were collapsing, he couldn’t help but instinctively hold himself and rub small circles into his shoulders and arms. This somehow seemed to help after a few minutes as the pain that once was consuming him, started to subside even just a little bit. 

Once he was ready, he took only a moment to glance over his changed form before determinedly getting back on his feet. His legs nearly gave out under the new feeling of extra height and weight, but he managed to steady himself and let out a long sigh at the journey to come.

As he walked into the castle and looked past the familiarly dusty details of the curse, he only had one thought ringing in his mind. He knew that above anything, he needed to find Belle, and as soon as possible. She was the one who had managed to soften his dark heart and break the spell, so he figured she would have the power to help him now. 

Once Adam reached the room they shared, he opened the door and froze. Nobody was there. As he took a few steps in, he couldn’t help but start to feel the weight of everything finally hitting him. The cold and dreary room only welcomed those old feelings of loneliness, despair, and anger. As he pressed a paw against his face to make it go away, he perked up as he heard something moving.

Turning around, he saw nothing, but continued to hear what sounded like… porcelain and metal.  
Taking a shaky breath in, he exited the room to see his friends who were once again turned into objects…

“Mrs. Potts… Lumiere…”

Immediately stunned, he couldn’t help but think that despite all the pain he’d endured as the beast, one thing that bothered him the most was seeing his friends suffer through the curse that had been put on them too.

Breaking the silence, Mrs. Potts spoke up, “Ah, please forgive us for spying dear, but we’ve been looking for you everywhere! You’ve worried us sick!”

Blinking in surprise, he muttered, “Looking for me?”

He shook his head to re-orient himself.

“I’m… Sorry for making you worry but, I have something to ask of you… Do you know where Belle is? I need to talk to her.”

With a confused face, Lumiere answered, “She is in the library as always. Is everything alright?”

His heart sinking at the words, he simply replied, “I’m not sure yet… I just… know that I need to see her.”

Despite the looks he saw on their faces, he quickly turned to walk down the hall that would bring him to the library. And as he walked, he couldn’t help but hear the others whisper as they followed him from a respectable distance. Luckily, no one dared stop his quest.

When he finally realized that he was approaching the doors, he hesitated. 

I… don’t know what I’m going to say to her! What am I doing, I shouldn’t be here!

No, no, no, I’ve got to keep calm about this. Just like they have all told me so many times, I just need to be myself and keep a handle on my emotions.

Though frustration was getting the better of him, he tried to take a fidgety moment to ease his nerves.

Everything would be fine once he was with her.

As he opened the door slowly, his eyes immediately latched onto the sight of the beautiful brunette who was sat by the big window and looked to be in the middle of reading. As he took the sight of her in, he realized that… if there was anything worth reliving right now, it would be getting to fall in love with her all over again. He supposed however, now wasn’t the best time to get mushy.

Once fully entering the room, he softly called out, “Belle?...”

Putting her book down reflexively at the sound of her name, she hopped to her feet and strode to approach him with a happy demeanor… and no trace of fear. 

“Oh! You came at just the right time! I just finished this one…” 

She trailed off wistfully in thought and then snapped out of her thoughts by handing the book over to him without another word.  
Taking it gently into his grasp, he smiled as he read the title.

“This is a wonderful literature work, I’m uh…” 

He felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest as expectant eyes met his.

“I’m really glad that you enjoyed it. It’s nice for these books to be getting some use.”

Before getting any chance to get any more flustered, Adam turned to bring the book back to its designated place. As he glanced over a few of the other books, there was one that seemed to catch his eye and stop him in his tracks. It’s been a while since he’d seen it last but it was definitely the same book… The one that he had written for her. It was filled to the brim with poems about how he felt about Belle and little drabbles about the things she had taught him. 

It was then that realization hit him. Maybe if he had them read what he had written together and have her write something in response… It was a long shot, but he was running out of ideas of how to return to being human again.

With a soft smile spread across his face, he slipped the book from it’s place and returned it to it’s rightful place. Belle accepted the book with a dazzling smile of her own when she too realized what it was and was quick to lead them both to a comfortable couch to read together.

The first few poems they went through were quite generic and calming prose that wouldn’t give away any specific meaning. Definitely warm ups with the help of Mrs. Potts to help him get used to the rhythm of the words, figuring out how the rhyming fit, and finding how words could tie so perfectly to one’s own emotion. After these handful of warmups was when he finally decided to let his heart loose onto the pages. Though he was hesitant to reveal them, he knew that they had to be seen if he ever wanted to show Belle who he was and how he truly felt.

“All these years I had been blind  
But my heart has melted by your words so kind  
Just the mere presence of you can make me unwind  
Though it has taken years for us to meet, it is something I no longer mind”

“You’ve colored my life with many hues  
In this cold castle, you bring spring’s morning dew  
From my heart is a statement so true  
Belle, my dear, I love you…”

After Adam knew for sure she had read both poems, he couldn’t help but nervously fiddle with his cloak as he awaited a reaction. What he didn’t expect was Belle softly closing the book and holding it gingerly to her chest. After a moment, she turned her attention back to him with a blush dusting her cheeks.

“Did you write this yourself?...”

Trying his best not to choke on his words or bubbling emotions, he sheepishly replied, “Yes, but I couldn’t have done it without having someone write as I dictated…”

“If that’s the case then… do you really mean what you wrote?”

Adam felt himself tense up before forcing himself to relax and reply, “I do mean it Belle… I never thought it could happen but yet, I cannot deny the way I feel about you any longer.”

Belle gingerly took a hold of one of his paws and with a peaceful sigh she smiled up at him with so much care and compassion in her eyes that it made him want to explode. 

“I suppose I had never thought of the possibility in the past but… Now I remember. I remember that I love you too!”

As if on cue, he felt a heaviness in his heart and shoulders melt away, his body slowly being enveloped in a bright magical light once again. As the sensation lifted him off the floor and above the library, he felt no pain while his limbs shifted back into his human form. Rather, he felt pure bliss and relief in the simple truth this his love had been reciprocated and that the curse was being lifted. It only took a moment for him to be delicately placed back on his feet, only stumbling slightly but enough to make Belle reach out to balance him. He only took a moment to take note of the fact that he could hold onto her arm with his human hand now. 

“Adam?....”

“Belle… You saved me.”

Belle looked at him with wonder in her eyes before softly asking, “Are you alright? What just happened?”

With a smile slowly spreading across his face, he answered, “You remember now don’t you? Me and all the residents of this castle were under a terrible curse, but you broke it by helping me learn to love and loving me in return! You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me Belle… I realize now that I should tell you that more often.”

Belle lightly placed a hand over his cheek and rubbed circles across his skin with her thumb before replying, “Yes, but that’s okay. Now you have a chance to tell the real Belle when you awake.”

Adam’s eyes widened at the odd response before relaxing again. He gave a short nod and sadly stated, “So you aren’t really her… I should have realized it sooner. Either way, you definitely have a point. I feel like I can express myself a little easier now that I got to talk as if you were really Belle.” 

‘Dream’ Belle simply gave him a smile and moved her hands back to his own. 

“You should be getting some real rest now. Goodness knows that you need it, especially after what you’ve just been through. Goodbye for now…”

Without another word, Belle disappeared as his surroundings were becoming blurry and he could no longer make out his surroundings.

“Goodbye…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A gasp quickly filled his lungs once he awoke, his limbs struggling to push himself into a sitting position. A glance down at the form lying next to him and at his own body confirmed that this was indeed the present day and that he was no longer dreaming. He was okay. Belle was okay. Everyone was human and there was no more curse or pain to worry about. 

At least not right now... Future nightmares may contradict that. But all things considered, it could have been so much worse. In the end, it was an experience that left him feeling more lovestruck than ever and with the wish to share that fact with his beloved more. He really was always pretty crummy at sharing his true feelings and had only recently started getting better at that. He could work on it more later, maybe even write another poem for her like he did before. Anything like that would have to wait til morning however… It was still very late in the night and like ‘dream’ Belle had said, he needed the rest.

With a deep, grounding sigh, he let himself lean back into the comfort of the bed and turn toward the warmth that his sleeping wife provided. After only a moment of allowing comfort to surround him, Adam finally fell into a deep sleep with a fading smile and a tear in the corner of his eye. His nightmares may not end with this night, but for now he would be able to face the rest of the night in peace and greet the morning with a renewed sense of self and deep love for his one and only Beauty.


End file.
